Sweet Potato - Need Advises

12-11-2011, 02:52 AM

Hi Chris,

I really want to buy a SP but hesitate which size I should go for: 5'6 or 5'8?
I'm 6'0 and 70kg (155lbs), and riding since the past 2 years a 9'2 long board or 6.1 Fish Southpoint... (intermediate level).

Either size is going to have tonnes of float for you, but neither will be easier to duck dive. They pack a LOT of volume. At your weight you could be down on the 5'0" and that'll be ok to duck dive but if your ability isn't there yet it'd end up being frustrating.
Maybe consider the 5'4", but what sort of conditions are you planning on using it for? Ideally with the SP you're in conditions where you probably wouldn't be doing too much duck diving anyway.

Yeah agreed.
To put things in perspective, I bought a potatoe 5'6" being a bit sckeptic of the downsizing. Once i got the board I realyzed how much volume and plane area this thing has. This is the reason why I sold it to a friend of mine to get a 5'2" (I'm 80Kgs dry).
So Olitun, providing that your skill level is intermediate, I would go for the 5'2" or if you want to venture the 5'0". (this one will have plenty of volume for you).
It all depends what and where do you want to go. Please give us more details

Yeah my 2 cents are to be in the 502 or 504 range because it sounds like your ability is at a point where you don't want to go too short. Keep in mind though that the smaller you go, the more room you'll have to grow and improve into your board.

Cheers

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Jumping in here guys as I didn't want to start a new thread for size advice.

First off, I am only in the early stages of looking. I moved form San Francisco to Toronto and recently have found that there is surf in the lake with the help of the guys over at surf ontario. Mike S tweeted about the sweet potato and now here I am. I have been surfing for about 15 years and would consider my self to be intermediate to lower advanced as I have taken a few years off in there.

I am just under 5'8 and 205 pounds. Kind of a stalky occy build if you will. The waves we get here are stronger then I thought they would be but being fresh water doesn't have the float I am used to. I am currently on a 6'4 Merrick Flyer 2 tufflite and am looking for a fun wave magnet to glide on.

I was thinking 510 but after reading comments here and in the old forum that sounds like 6 inches too long! What do you think?

Hey ostrich, happy to see you're embarquing into the freshwater movement!!!. We have to deal with wht we got right??. I do mostly river surfing here in Montreal, but try nt to miss any good swell on the Easy Coast.
Remember that the wind swells produced on the grat lakes are very sudden.. These guys are really wired with their meteo.
Now for what I've seen in pics and videos, and takimg into consideration that you will be jumping in the water with a 5/4 wetsuit or thicker and that it is fresh water, I'm inclined to suggest you the 5'6". Remember that the potato is a board designed maybe for not so very shabby conditions (a session saver), and by goig to small you could be limiting the potential of you session.
To put things in persective, I am around 165lbs and bought a potato 5'6" a couple of months ago. Ended up selling it to a friend of mine to get the 5'2". Fresh water, full wetsuit
Hope it helps
Mike Sandusky ride prettu much SUP , doesn't he??
Did he have any ADDVANCE for demo??. You should eventually try that board for the lakes

yeah ostrich have you had a chance to talk to the guys there all that much regarding the waves they normally get?

at your weight, i think you are in the 506 or 508 range, perhaps just a little added length to offset the fact that the waves are weak, inconsistent and that you have to wear thick wetties. does that seem to make sense?

Comment

I'm 5'11"- 87 Kg- 40 years old. Been surfing 22 years. I bought a 5'8" SP , I was going to get a 5'10", good job I didn't ! I had the 5'8" , 2 months before I got another at 5'6"... This size is perfect for me. As I think everyone stated , they pack alot of foam.
Must admit they are the most fun in small surf, I've had mine out in well overhead beach breaks and it's been fine.
Run mine with Simon Anderson 'large' glass quad fins.

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I'm the same size as Olitoun... 6'0'' 150-155lbs. I just got a 5'8'' Hellfire on craigslist and LOVE that board. I still have a 5'8'' Spitfire and am now thinking about selling it or trading it for a Sweet Potato. I would love for it to ride the REALLY weak stuff that my Spitfire couldn't get into that would typically require a longboard. would a 5'6'' or 5'8'' do the trick? I don't care about duck diving it because I would only bring it out on really weak days and would only really use it to cruise on the weak stuff or get up on small whitewash. Would even maybe the 5'10'' take the place of a long board for me? Thanks!

You're quite tall (well to my standings jejeje). I had a 5'6" potato and sold it and got a 5'2". The main reason is that that board had TONS of flotation for my weight (165lbs). I don't know what's your skill level but if you are somewhere between intermediate and advance I would go for a 5'4".
I was skeptic of going too small at the begging but once I got the board I realized how much foam this board packed.
At the end it's all a matter of preferences.
Something to remember also is that that board was designed to ride the small stuff, so going too small will in some sort defeat the original purpose of the board. I remember back on the 5'6" I was seating in the lineup at the same level as the long boarders and catching all sorts of waves

Not at all. This board, due to its design,excells in small mushy surf where other boards will simply stay out of the water.
There is people in this forum who have taken it into over head surf with minor to no complains. It's all in the eyes of the beholder!!!.

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Thanks Iggy! Yeah I'm somewhere in between intermediate-advanced but paddle into waves pretty well. I'm almost leaning toward the 5'6'' sweet potato because I would love the board to paddle into anything (like a longboard). If there is any size or power to a wave (waist high and up) then I'll be on my 5'8'' Hellfire. Another question though- would the 5'8'' Sweet Potato just be overkill for me? I'm not really looking for the board to whip around like my Hellfire- just get up and cruise around. You think the 5'8'' would get me up on more waves than even the 5'6''?

I think that the 5'8" will be tons o foam. The 5'6" was feeling like a longboard for me. So from that perspective I would tell you to stay on the 5'6". Believe me you can't imagine how much foam that board packs. Although I think the 5'4" will fill your needs, I would not recommend to go for the 5'8".